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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion January 19, 2008 The Lamb and the Shepherd |
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Frontline Devotion for Saturday, January 19, 2008 by Don Kress
John 1:29-34 – The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him. John said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the One I was talking about when I said, ‘A man will come after me, but he is greater than I am, because he was living before me.’ Even I did not know who he was, although I came baptizing with water so that the people of Israel would know who he is.” Then John said, “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven in the form of a dove and rest on him. Until then I did not know who the Christ was. But the God who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘You will see the Spirit come down and rest on a man; he is the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen this happen, and I tell you the truth: this man is the Son of God.” (New Century Version
“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Those are the words John the Baptist used to introduce Jesus to the crowd of people that was drawn to John. What a powerful introduction! It’s interesting to me, as I ponder writing this devotion, that Jesus is both the Lamb and the Good Shepherd. How often do we think of him as a Shepherd, and how often do we see him as a Lamb?
At Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Gaithersburg, MD, we can’t miss seeing him as the Shepherd. It is impossible to sit in our sanctuary without gazing upon the thirty-feet-high stained-glass window in the front of the sanctuary that depicts Jesus as the Good Shepherd, carrying a lamb on his shoulders. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) I believe that one of the most beautiful relationships given to us in Scripture is that between a shepherd and his sheep. It’s probably no accident that Jesus chose to compare us to sheep! Sheep are animals of a mass mind, a mob instinct; they’re fearful and timid, and can be very stubborn and prone to perverse habits. Does that sound like any humans you know? And sheep require much more attention and care than most other livestock. When I profess that “The Lord is my Shepherd,” I accept a profound yet practical relationship between this human being and Jesus Christ. It moves me to think that God, through Christ, is deeply concerned about me as a mere mortal individual, and he wants me to come under His benevolent care. The Good Shepherd delights in caring for me and spares no pain for the welfare of His sheep.
We must continually be mindful of Christ’s reference to laying down His life for His sheep. He bought you and me for an incredible price: His own life and shed blood. And that’s why he is also the Lamb. John the Baptist declares him to be the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. In Christ we find the fulfillment of the answer that Abraham had given to Isaac two-thousand years earlier. Isaac had said, “..Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb.” (Gen. 22:7-8) John tells us that Jesus is that Lamb.
John also tells us that Jesus “takes” away sin. He doesn’t say that He will someday take away sin, but John uses the present tense of this verb, the leading definitions of which are: to seize, to catch, to capture; to get into one’s hold, possession, or control. Christ actively seizes and takes control of our sin, day after day! He is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
“But he took our suffering on him and felt our pain for us..He was wounded for the wrong we did; he was crushed for the evil we did..and we are healed because of his wounds..He was like a lamb being led to be killed..The Lord made his life a penalty offering..My good servant will make many people right with God; he will carry away their sins..” (Isaiah 53:4-12)
“Then I saw a Lamb standing in the center of the throne..The Lamb looked as if he had been killed..Then I looked, and I heard the voices of..thousands and thousands of angels saying..‘The Lamb who was killed is worthy’..Then I heard all creatures in heaven and on earth..saying: ‘To the One who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever’.” (Revelation 5:6-14)
Prayer: Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world. You take away my sin. You delight in caring for me. May I have a renewed understanding – in my mind and in my heart – of the depth of your love for me. Amen.
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